London-based soccer publication Football London has predicted Tottenham Hotspur’s starting lineup for their next game, with two spots, Emerson Royal and Brian Hill, essentially ruled out.
Tottenham started the 2023-2024 English Premier League (EPL) season with eight wins and two draws, but a rash of suspensions and injuries since the Chelsea game has led to three straight defeats and a rapid decline in the standings to fifth place. They snapped the losing streak with a 3-3 draw at Manchester City on Nov. 4 (KST), and are preparing for a rebound as absentees slowly return.
캡틴토토 The Round 15 home game against West Ham United on Aug. 8 is the return of first-choice center back Cristian Romero from a three-match ban following his sending off. So a place on the bench for Emerson was a foregone conclusion. With Romelu Lukaku out through suspension and Micky Van der Vaart injured, Spurs have been playing a combination of Ben Davies and Emerson in recent games instead of specialist center back Eric Dier. Of the two, Davies has more experience at center back. It would make the most sense for the returning Romero to pair with Davies.
As for Hill, he could be pushed indirectly by Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who has been decent whenever he’s come on as a substitute recently. With Tottenham’s second choice wingers Ivan Perisic, Manor Solomon, Hicharlison, and James Maddison all dropping out, Hill was forced to start. However, despite his hard work, Hill’s lack of judgment in finishing off attacks and his small frame made him less effective. During the week of the match, Hill was dropped in favor of Hojbjerg, and the usual substitution was to move Giovani Rosselso, who started as a defensive midfielder, forward to attacking midfield. The outlet even predicted that Hojbjerg would start and move Rosselso forward to attacking midfield.
Further narrowing Hill’s options is the fact that Brazil international striker Ricardo is poised to return to the starting lineup after coming off the bench against City. Until his injury, he had been shifting to left winger to support Son up front.
Despite being outplayed at City, Tottenham managed a draw thanks to a goal and an assist from Son and Dejan Kulusevski, as well as a goal from Rosselso. With the exception of Hill, the main attacking lineup has done its job. If they can refine their attacking combinations and get defender Romero back, they could recapture some of their early-season momentum.